Lost and Found

Jeremiah 29:13

You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.

When I was eleven, I learned a very important lesson about Christmas. It was the same lesson that the Who’s down in Whoville learned when they woke on Christmas morning and the Grinch had taken all the holiday trappings. Christmas comes whether there are gifts or cookies or trimmed trees or decorations, because Christmas is about the celebration of the birth of our Savior.

The year I was eleven, we lost our family dog on Christmas Eve. In the hustle and bustle of the evening no one remembered to let her in. As my sisters and I slept dreaming of the long anticipated Christmas morning traditions, my parents and a family friend spent that Christmas Eve in search of our beloved pet. We woke Christmas morning, not to those familiar and hoped for traditions, but to the realization that something great was lost. We dressed not in the special outfits purchased for the day, but in our winter coats and boots, then on foot and in cars began a search for our beloved Teke. The highlight of that Christmas day was when our Dad finally found her. We didn’t care about the traditions missed; they meant nothing in comparison to the overwhelming joy of finding her.

Many times Jesus gets lost at Christmas and the saddest thing is that many don’t even realize that he is missing. We get so caught up in what we think makes the holiday special that we forget to be like the shephards and the wise men who go and search for Jesus. Think how much time and effort went into making that careful search. I wonder if God on purpose didn’t give specific directions so that they could feel that overwhelming joy when they found something that had cost them some effort to find.

Unlike when we searched for our dog and were unsure that we would ever find her, Jesus promises that when we search for him we will find him. Don’t let Jesus get lost this Christmas. Spend time looking for him. Seek him. Seek him with all your heart. And when you find him may your joy overwhelm you.

“Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in.” Revelations 3:20

Lord, you promise that if we make the effort to look for you, you will be found. Open our eyes, ears and hearts so that we find you in all the preparation and celebrations of the season. Help us to open the door and let you in. Amen